More on the family weekend

You may recall that last weekend, another lifetime ago, Bob's family visited us. We've been married for 11 1/2 years, and in that time one sister and her family came out to Colorado for a weekend, before we had any kids, and one brother visited us for the day in Ohio while on Army Reserve duty. But Bob has 5 brothers and sisters, plus parents, so that leaves a lot of people who have never come before! So this was a big deal, as everyone was seeing our "stuff" and how we function in our home for the first time. Here are some awards:

Nicest thing Bob's Dad said to me: "Everywhere I look, there's something to learn," as he looked at all our maps, timelines, posters, etc. that decorate our walls. He really liked our wall world map, and he had a good time pointing out where he had sailed when he was in the Navy in World War II.

Nicest thing Bob's Mom said to me: " You're a good cook!"

Biggest surprise hit dinner food: chicken in the crockpot with french dressing/onion soup/apricot preserves. They were very skeptical of this entree, but everyone turned out to like it. (Bob's dad: "I wouldn't eat this rice without this gravy!")

Least favorite dinner part: steamed broccoli with just butter on it (Dad again: "You need to put more flavoring on this. Do your kids actually eat this this way?")

Gourmet cooking technique of mine that Bob's parents were most impressed with: mixing 2 different kinds of salad bags--plain old iceberg lettuce mix AND baby spinach. Take notes.

Most impressive decorating item around the house: the clear plastic cover we have that goes on top of our tablecloth, keeping up from having to wash it every time someone spills on it. They were even more impressed to learn it came from the Walmart fabric section, and you can get it cut any length you want! Gift idea!

Most impressive random household item: the rice bag we have that we heat up for injuries, when someone is sick, etc. When they found out that I had actually made it (by the complicated procedure of sewing up a washcloth and filling it with rice), they were even more impressed! Now we have 2 gift ideas!

Boy genius award: Caleb (3). For some reason, he spouted out at lunch one day, in a stirring voice, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" I don't even know where he's heard this, since we haven't studied the American Revolution yet, so even I was a little impressed. But then once he realized he was cute, he said it about 50 more times, and then I wasn't so impressed. But everyone else was.

Best late Christmas gift: Bob's sister Rose gave Nathan and Luke roller blades. They were thrilled! Since they haven't been able to go outside all week, they've worn them in the basement.

Nicest thing said overall: Sherry (Bob's brother's wife) told me as they were leaving that we had a beautiful house, but an even more beautiful home, and that's why everyone had such a good time here.